“Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down…”
I love Mary Poppins, mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. I loved my mother’s sweet tea and the candy covered gingerbread houses that we had at Halloween and Christmas. I crave Snowcaps, still, when I go to the movies because that was what I ate when I went with my dad as a kid. I resist.
If only it just took A spoonful to help the medicine go down.
I am hearing, from most of my clients right now that, because it is hot, there has been a bit of ice cream in their summer. Believe me, I understand. I had a small bowl of strawberry ice cream last week. Is it really about the heat? Cold water, ice cubes and fans provide more actual relief. Isn't it the traditional associations we make, the nostalgia? It’s just what we do!
That one ice cream cone on your one summer trip to the beach, or a sliver of your kid’s birthday cake, or a homemade holiday cookie is fine! The problem is that many of us don’t stop there. Sugar is addictive. We get a little bit and want a little more and before you know it, our taste buds have rejected everything else, with lots of attitude!
As hunters and gatherers, we used to only get sweetness when we came upon a honeycomb in the wild and then we stuffed our faces with it, probably until we felt sick, or we were stung by a bee. Maybe we didn’t overdo it at that hive. I don’t know. Sharing may have been a necessity. Now, it is hard to avoid sugar. It is almost always in processed food. From breads to salad dressing, the manufacturers know that the food has more chance of getting under our skin if it contains sugar.
For those who are rebels, understand that this means big corporations are spending lots of money to control what you crave. Show them who is the boss of you! Use your unique ability to just say no!
For those who are obligers, join those of us who are living more energetic, happy lives because we listen to our bodies (or our health coach) and have a goal of a long life rather than a slow death - sugar and insulin resistance are big culprits in many diseases and autoimmune issues. Trust me (because, as an obliger, you have that ability) when I say that quitting sugar will actually change your skin, your taste buds, the way your body does or does not hang onto fat, and your ability to actually feel hunger and (more importantly) to know when you are full.
For those who are questioners, like me, I am now going to inundate you with data in case you are ready for your brain to shift a bit more. Also, dear rebel, imagine how good you will feel.
If you have never heard of rebels, obligers or questioners and are fed up with all of this confusing rhetoric, take this quiz, to discover what motivates you.
The data:
Sugar creates leaky gut - it is absorbed quickly into our small intestines without any help from our microbes. So our gut microbes remain hungry and begin snacking on the cells that line our intestines. This allows food to enter our bloodstream, causing our immune system to attack it and then attack our own tissues. This leads to inflammation and then autoimmunity.
Sugar increases our insulin production. It is metabolized in the liver and causes insulin resistance which then keeps us from metabolizing (releasing) our fatty acids from our fat cells. We then hang onto our fat.
Because sugar causes the pancreas to pump out too much insulin (causing insulin resistance) our cortisol production is affected. Insulin resistance programs our body to think we have low blood sugar which then causes the release of that cortisol, which then tells the liver to increase the amount of glucose available. Cortisol increases our heart rate, shuts down digestion, and affects our growth and reproduction. All the energy is going to fight or flight (to our brains and muscles.) Too much of this weakens our adrenal glands. These insulin surges also help to destroy our thyroid gland.
I could go on and on and on. But even questioners can only handle so much data at a time.
A few remedies to our sugar cravings:
Take a break from it, including where it shows up in processed foods. After four days, the cravings will be gone. The best would be to quit all processed foods.
Cook. It can be simple. You may start loving simple stir-fries and salads as your taste buds become more healthy. Keep trying new vegetables.
Savor fruit between meals. I have learned that fruit has amazing power over cancer (among many other benefits.) Plus, it’s just so good. Keep trying new kinds. Always organic.
If you need accountability, or have a question, or want to rebel against me, I am here for you.
Love, Madeline
